


With A Smile And A Song

by AMeetingEngagement



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-12
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-29 01:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/681242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMeetingEngagement/pseuds/AMeetingEngagement
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post “The Crocodile”, pre “The Outsider”. Mr. Gold forgets that Fridays are girls’ night in at Belle’s apartment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With A Smile And A Song

Gold had forgotten Belle’s plans to have friends over for movies that Friday night, so when he climbed the stairs to the small caretaker’s apartment over the library, he was momentarily disconcerted by peals of laughter. The book he was returning to her almost slipped from his hand, but he recovered in time to rescue it and made the rest of the climb somewhat more cautiously. “Belle?” he called, bracing himself on the railing and using the head of his cane to tap on the door.

The laughter continued, and this time he could hear something else mixed in. Was that someone…singing?

The door was flung open and Belle, clad in plaid flannel pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt emblazoned with _Got books?_ , grinned widely at him. _“Do it!”_ someone shrieked from behind her. The cry was repeated by two other chanting female voices, and Gold, peering around Belle, saw that Ruby, Mary Margaret, and Ashley, all sprawled on the floor in front of Belle’s television, were the source. Emma was lounging in an armchair with a half-full glass of wine and staring wide-eyed at the scene.

Belle stifled a laugh, then raised her hands and clasped them in front of her chest. And then, she began singing.

_“There’s something sweet – and almost kind –”_

Belle had many talents, but singing was not one of them. Her voice wavered and cracked without settling on anything approaching a tune, but the other women – all except Emma, who appeared to be in shock – seemed to find it hilarious.

Gold’s mouth dropped open ever so slightly in shock, and Belle took advantage of the moment to grab his arms and pull him into the apartment. _“But he was mean and he was course and unrefined!”_ she went on, eyes wide.

Gold looked for an escape, but she had a strong grip for such a small woman. He nearly tripped an empty wine bottle and discovered at least four more scattered over the floor and the small coffee table, together with glasses in various states of depletion and several half-full bowls of popcorn. There were also a number of brightly-colored video cases stacked on the coffee table, and Gold had the sneaking suspicion he knew what the women had been watching.

_“And now he’s dear – and so unsure,”_ Belle warbled through her laughter. _“I don’t know why I didn’t see it there before!”_

She finally released him, and Gold took a step back. “That – that’s very nice,” he said uncertainly, holding the book in front of him like a shield. “You left this at the shop.”

The women on the floor had dissolved into a giggling, incoherent mass, and Emma had clapped a hand over her mouth and was unsuccessfully stifling a series of snorts. Belle swayed and hiccupped. “That’s so sweet,” she said brightly, prompting a renewed storm of laughter from the others.

This was no place for a sorcerer, Gold thought desperately as he tried to thrust the book into Belle’s hands so he would have a hand free for the door. “I’ll see you for lunch on Monday?” he said a little desperately.

“For _hamburrrrgerrrrs?”_ Ruby called from behind Belle, rolling the ‘r’s until they practically rattled.

Seven hells, if he didn’t get out of here soon they were probably going to make _him_ sing, or worse. The Dark One didn’t sing – in fact, he’d sooner get a root canal from a dwarf pickaxe. “Monday,” he said firmly, grabbing Belle’s hand and closing it around the spine of the book. She didn’t like him using magic overmuch, but he considered this an emergency situation of the highest order and he had no compunctions about calling up a spell to return him to the shop. As soon as the familiar scents of dust and old books and leather surrounded him once more, he let out a heavy breath in relief.

_That_ had been a close call.

Back in the apartment, boos and catcalls at Gold’s retreat had replaced the giggling. Belle waved away the lingering purple haze and shut the apartment door, smiling. “All right, I did it,” she said, slurring just a bit. “What’s my prize?”

“You get to pick the next movie,” Ruby replied, downing a slug of wine and following it up by tossing a bit of popcorn into the air and catching it in her mouth. “And decide who’s got to sing. I think it should be Emma.”

The Savior, who had been persuaded to leave badge and gun at home lest they put a damper on the festivities, put up her hands in horror. “Oh, no. I don’t sing. Not ever. There are three people in this room who have their own theme songs and I’m not one of them.” She pointed at her mother. “I think it’s _your_ turn.”

Snow White eyed her daughter, although she seemed to be having a little bit of trouble focusing on her. “Oh, right, go ahead and throw your mother to the wolves. Oops!” She looked guiltily at Ruby.

The wolf-woman stuck out her tongue. “I may not be a Disney princess, but I’ll bet I’ve got a better singing voice than you, miss One-Day-My-Prince-Will-Come!”

Cinderella, who had left her daughter with her husband and was clearly enjoying the evening free of parental responsibilities, attempted to arbitrate. It might have worked better if she hadn’t been swaying and giggling. “But Disney’s so in-in-in-accurate! Why don’t we watch something else?”

The suggesting was drowned out in another round of boos and catcalls. Belle finally deposited the book on a side table and went rummaging through the pile of videos. “I sang, so it’s _my_ turn to pick,” she declared, coming up with a brightly-colored box that did not sport a Disney logo.

“Where did _you_ get _that?”_ Ruby demanded. “That is definitely _not_ Disney.”

“Rumpelstiltskin showed me how to order from online booksellers,” Belle said with great dignity as she fumbled open the case and fought with the DVD player for possession of the last movie, “and they also stocked videos. Besides, I like the main character. He’s sweet.”

The other four women exchanged looks behind Belle’s back. “You use that word a lot,” Emma said. “I don’t think it means what you think it means.”

Snow had got hold of the DVD case, and her eyes widened. “Belle, you got the ‘Fully Exposed Edition’?”

Belle claimed the remote and plopped down on the couch. “I thought I might as well. It was the same price.”

Ruby raised her eyebrows. “And it has nothing to do with the fact that the main character looks just like…you-know-who?”

Belle smirked and wagged her finger. “If you can’t be quiet, I’ll put on the cartoon with the pigs and I’ll make you _sing the song.”_

Ruby’s eyes widened in horror, and her mouth snapped shut. And the other women, seeing that the wine had brought out a ruthless side in their normally kind and demure librarian, smartly decided not to comment further as Belle’s movie started playing. After an unspoken conversation, it was decided that Belle’s choice would stand as long as the rest of the wine was consumed in short order; and even then, it was a good thing Belle was too busy watching the last scene of the movie to notice that the rest of them were pointedly _not_ watching it.

The main character did bear a remarkable resemblance to Belle’s true love, and the mental image of a bare-arsed Dark One throwing a red leather thong off a stage was something that none of them, not even Ruby, wanted stuck in her head.


End file.
